Light Up Your Rooms With Skylights

Skylights bring in 30% more light than other conventional windows. They are very much like windows functionality-wise. They can either be fixed or they can be operable. The fixed skylights obviously only provide light, but the operable type can be opened and closed, providing better ventilation. They aid in venting off hot air and are great during summer.

Thirty years ago, skylights were comprised of a single piece of glass in a frame. Today, they support low-E and tinted coatings which control transmission of both UV-rays and heat. As an alternative to tinted glass, you can purchase shades or blinds on your roof skylight. Skylights that open usually come with a screen.

Skylights are great for rooms that may have problems with limited wall space thereby having little chance of light coming in. Skylights are great lighting problem solvers and they give out this completely different ambiance to the room it is installed in, fantastic natural light. A clear glassed skylight directs the sunlight to a specific spot while the acrylic or obscure glass will spread the light over a larger area.

Aside from wonderful, natural light, they are cost-friendly lowering the need for electric lighting in the day time. They also help limit your dependence to heating and air-conditioning because they can keep the room cool during summer. Come winter time, the heat of the sunlight radiates into the room so it works both ways – cooling and heating capabilities that blend with the weather.

They also come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whatever the size of the room is, it is how you gauge the size of the skylight. You will need to know how the sun passes over the house and wherever you will want the sunlight to hit is where you position the skylight. Using a tubular skylight is advisable when the ceiling of a room is away from the roof line. To as much as 18″ in diameter are the sizes they come in. They are made of a clear dome over a reflective shaft usually ending at the ceiling, and also have a diffuser to help spread the light.